Argos drop 26-17 decision to QEW rivals

Kevin Glenn threw for 322 yards and a touchdown to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a 26-17 victory over the host Toronto Argonauts on Friday night at the Rogers Centre.

Starting for the second straight game in place of the struggling Quinton Porter, Glenn made another bold statement towards becoming the full-time starter for Hamilton (7-9).

The veteran quarterback was 28-for-38 on the night with no interceptions.

He also managed the game effectively for Hamilton in the contest’s late stages as the Cats picked up a key two points in the battle for second place in the CFL East.

Nick Setta’s 17-yard field goal, his fourth of the night, put Hamilton up 26-17 with less than a minute to go.

Kerry Joseph’s biggest play of the night was connecting with Jason Carter on a 95-yard touchdown to bring Toronto (3-13) to within six at the time.

As Carter was crossing the middle of the field, still on Toronto’s half, Joseph hit him in stride. The speedy receiver outran the Ti-Cats secondary to reach the end zone and make it a 23-17 game.

It was Toronto who put up the first points of the fourth quarter thanks to a 17-yard field goal by Justin Medlock. The rookie kicker, who missed earlier from midfield, brought the score to 23-10 Tiger-Cats.

Joseph’s 26-yard run moved the Argos into field position on the drive. The veteran quarterback rushed for 55 yards on the night.

The McNeese State product also went 14-for-23 for 22 yards and a pair of touchdowns, again putting up impressive numbers but not a great result.

Hamilton chose to protect the ball through most of the final quarter, opting for running plays and shorter passes in order to avoid a turnover.

It left the Argonauts with very little time to produce points, forcing them into a more aggressive offence. Eventually, they would run out of time.

Jeff Johnson’s one-yard reception on Toronto’s third play at the goal-line put the Argos on the board less than four minutes into the third quarter. The fullback’s first reception of the night brought the deficit to 20-7.

On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Joseph found P.K. Sam on an out route, picking up 39 yards.

That completion alone gave the Argo quarterback more yards passing than the 31 he’d amassed in the opening half.

The only other points of the quarter came on its final play, when Setta connected on a 34-yard field goal, bringing the score to 23-7 for the Tiger-Cats.

Hamilton builds a lead

Hamilton dominated the first half, pulling out to a 20-0 advantage. The Ti-Cats defence held Toronto to just 63 yards on offense while amassing 212 of their own.

The Ti-Cats turned a late drive, starting again from quality field position, into more points. A time-shortened march over four plays and 36 seconds led to a 15-yard field goal by Setta.

A kick with two seconds remaining in the first half gave Hamilton a 20-0 lead. Highlighting the drive was a 26-yard catch by Arland Bruce III.

The former Argonaut caught five passes on the night for 96 yards, including a large reception in the late stages that put Hamilton in field goal range.

DeAndra’ Cobb increased Hamilton’s lead to 17-0 when he caught a 12-yard pass from Glenn, topping off a five play, 61-yard drive in style.

Again it was poor decision-making and needless penalties that hamstrung the Argos on defence, as they were unable to stop Hamilton twice on second and long situations during the drive.

Field position key

Favourable field position helped lead to Hamilton’s first touchdown of the game.

After Toronto was unsuccessful on a third-and-short situation from its own 38-yard line, Hamilton took over possession.

Three plays and a pass interference call later, Ti-Cats backup quarterback Adam Tafralis leapt over the goal-line pile to increase Hamilton’s lead to 10-0.

Joseph started throwing the long ball early, a stark contrast from the offensive strategy of the Argos earlier this season. Despite his efforts, he was unable to complete his tosses to wide receivers Chad Lucas, Carter and Brad Smith.

Hamilton took an early 3-0 lead when Setta kicked a 45-yard field goal on the Ti-cat opening drive.

Steven Olsen, a resident of Edmonton, Alberta, participated in Wendy’s Kick for a Million competition at half-time. He missed attempts from 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards, but won $30,000 for knocking the ball 30 yards.

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By: Stephen Sweet
Posted: Oct 23 2009 9:57 pm
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